|  | 8.3 | Environmental Factors
| 8.3.1 | Static, dust, dirt and heat
Another part of good network management is dealing with the environmental factors that can affect a network. Controlling these factors will create a more stable and reliable network. When installing new equipment, always follow the owner's manual setup procedures. This will resolve many problems that might come up by "doing it yourself". Make sure that all of the equipment's power switches are OFF before hooking it up. This also holds true if you buy a new peripheral card (an accessory that goes with your computer), make sure that the computer power is OFF before you install it and that you ground (discharge) yourself before touching the inside of the computer. The best way to ground yourself is to use a grounding strap. Without proper grounding, it is possible to build up an electric charge as great as 20,000 volts. This charge can be created by just walking on a synthetic rug with leather shoes or by sliding around to get comfortable in a plastic chair. Another cause of static is lack of humidity in the air, it is important to make sure that the rooms that hold equipment have proper temperature and humidity control. Static charges are also sneaky; you may not even know that there is a charge built up until it is discharged causing damage. A static voltage discharge can burn out many of the I.C.s (electrical components) in network and computer equipment. To make sure this problem is eliminated, the purchase of anti-static or ground mats may be necessary along with grounding straps. Keep dust and dirt out of the keyboards, disk drives, and equipment air vents. Keeping the environment in which equipment is used clean and free of contaminants does this. Tar and nicotine are contaminants that are very sticky and are a part of the smoke of a cigarette. Smoking around computer equipment is a sure way to eventually damage the equipment. Never set coffee, soft drinks or any contained liquid on or above a piece of network or computer equipment. If the liquid spills and gets inside the machine, it will almost certainly cause the machine to burn out (and sometimes actually burn up). Don't let the equipment overheat; computers and other network equipment have built-in fans to cool them. Make sure not to block any of the equipment's cooling vents. Make sure that your work area leaves the computers vents open. Make sure that you place the computer on a solid support area (don't set it on a snack tray). Vibration and sudden shocks can loosen components inside the computer.